Assumption of Mary (Kirrberg)
The Church of the Assumption of Mary is a Catholic parish and pilgrimage church in Kirrberg , a district of Homburg , the district town of the Saar-Palatinate district in Saarland . She bears the patronage of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary .
history
In a document from 1290 a "Capella in Kerchperch" ("Chapel on the Kirchberg") was mentioned in Kirrberg, which is probably also the namesake of the place. In the 16th century a "church on the mountain" was called, from which it can be concluded that the original chapel was expanded into a church . This church building was destroyed during the Thirty Years War . More than a hundred years passed before another church was built in Kirrberg. In the years 1783–85, a new church was finally built, which was a small hall building with dimensions of 6 × 12 m, which could accommodate about 140 people. The building owner of the church was Duchess Maria Amalie , wife of Duke Karl II. August von Pfalz-Zweibrücken , who initiated the construction after answering prayer.
As the population of Kirrberg increased, the church became too small over time, and it was decided to tear down the old church building and build a new one. According to plans by the architect Ludwig Becker ( Mainz ), a neo-Gothic church was built between 1889 and 1898 . After its completion, the new church was consecrated by the Speyer bishop Joseph Georg von Ehrler . It was a small church with a nave , which was followed by a choir room . Inside there were three carved altars , as well as carved confessionals and benches . In 1945, towards the end of the Second World War , the church suffered major damage. So went u. a. the windows were broken and the main facade was destroyed. After the war, a makeshift renovation took place .
From 1955 to 1957 the church was expanded according to plans by the architect Herbert Lück ( Homburg-Beeden ), in which a transept and a new choir room were added to the old neo-Gothic nave in the place of the old choir . In addition, an extension was added at the site of the destroyed main facade, which included the organ loft and a vestibule. In addition, the church received a tower that was built free-standing next to the church building. On August 4, 1957, the enlarged church was consecrated by Bishop Isidor Markus Emanuel .
From 1973 to 1974, as part of a restoration, the chancel was rebuilt in accordance with the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council . In 1985 the church portal was renewed . In 2003 restoration work was carried out again, affecting the masonry, roof truss and the interior of the church.
Pilgrimage
The destination of the pilgrimage , which has been attested since the 18th century but is said to be older, is the "Mother of Grace of Kirrberg", a miraculous image from the 18th century. It was originally in the monastery church of Saar Werden . During the French Revolution , the Saar Werden monastery church was profaned . A citizen bought the statue of Mary at auction and donated it to the church in Kirrberg shortly after 1800.
Mary is depicted as the Queen of Heaven , wearing a crown and a scepter and holding the blessing Child Jesus with the globe in her arms. She stands with her foot on a crescent moon and steps a snake on the head. The figure was redesigned in 1977 and provided with a halo and a new crown. The two pilgrimage festivals of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (July 2nd) and the Birth of Mary (September 8th) are traditionally celebrated in Kirrberg every year.
Furnishing
The most important piece of equipment in the church is the miraculous image, the reason for the pilgrimage to Kirrberg, which is listed as an individual monument in the Saarland list of monuments .
In addition, the altar mosaic in the choir is worth mentioning, which has been there since the church was expanded in 1957. It was created by the church painter Adams from Homburg. It was laid by the company Villeroy & Boch ( Mettlach ). It depicts the bodily acceptance of Mary into heaven.
Furthermore, there are windows in the church by the glass painter György Lehoczky ( Saarbrücken ) from 1956.
In the course of the redesign of the sanctuary from 1973–74, the sculptor Karl-Heinz Deutsch created an altar, ambo , tabernacle and sedile from concrete . The concrete glass windows , which were installed in 1985 when the church portal was renewed, were designed by the pastor Alfons Gebhart. The Way of the Cross comes from Maximilian Winneberger.
organ
Today's organ of the church was built in 1963 by the organ building company Hugo Mayer Orgelbau ( Heusweiler ) and has 25 registers distributed over two manuals and pedal in a free-standing console . During the construction, the wind chests of the predecessor organ built in 1899 by Gebr. Huber ( Pirmasens ) were reused. In 2004 it was repaired by Thomas Gaida ( Wemmetsweiler ) by installing a new fan and moving the magazine bellows from the attic to the base of the organ. The instrument is set up on a gallery . The wind chests are electric slide chests in the positive and in the pedal as well as electric cone chests in the main plant.
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
- Playing aids : two free combinations, tutti, crescendo, crescendo off, individual tongue storage
Bells
The bell of the Church of the Assumption consists of five bronze bells. Master Alfred Paccard from the French bell foundry Paccard in Annecy was responsible for the bell casting, which in 1956 formed a five-part bell for the newly built tower of the Catholic parish in Kirrberg. From a statistical point of view, the bell for this bell tower is a little oversized despite the light rib construction. More than 60 years after the bell was cast, it was found that the Brother Konrad and Maria Goretti bells were seriously damaged. As a result, they were shut down for several years and recommended for repair. On July 8, 2010, the work was completed as part of a bell repair. With newly forged clappers for the bells Brother Konrad and Maria Goretti rang all five bells together again. When the little bells were shut down, the three big bells were active. For years, the great Marienglocke complained about the wrong setting of the chime motor. This is particularly noticeable when the bell is rung when the bell hits on one side. A new hiring as a corrective measure has remained unrealized to this day. Since the repair was completed, the full peal can only be heard at high festivities. The partial ringing without the Marienglocke only occurs during normal evening and Sunday masses. For the quarter of an hour the bells Maria Goretti and Brother Konrad strike in sequence. The Marienglocke strikes the full hours. For the angelus, the Joseph bell is rung.
| No. | Surname | volume | Casting year | Foundry, casting location |
Weight (kg) |
Diameter (cm) |
| 1 | St. Mary | h 0 | 1956 | Paccard, Annecy | 2186 | 156 |
| 2 | St. Michael | d 1 | 1318 | 131 | ||
| 3 | St. Joseph | f sharp 1 | 757 | 107 | ||
| 4th | Brother Konrad | a 1 | 517 | 92 | ||
| 5 | Maria Goretti | h 1 | 438 | 85 |
literature
- Bernhard H. Bonkhoff: The churches in the Saar-Palatinate district . Saarbrücken 1987.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Kirrberg, Mother of Grace - pilgrimage sites in the diocese of Speyer. ( Memento from January 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) csm.bistum-speyer.de; Retrieved July 17, 2012
- ↑ a b c d e f Church of the Assumption. pg-fronleichnam.de; Retrieved July 17, 2012
- ↑ a b c d e Information on the Church of the Assumption of Mary. kunstlexikonsaar.de; Retrieved July 17, 2012
- ↑ Sub-monument list Saarpfalz-Kreis. (PDF; 1.2 MB) List of monuments of the Saarland; Retrieved July 17, 2012
- ^ Organ of the Church of the Assumption of Mary (Catholic) ( Memento from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Information page of the Orgeln im Saarland website , accessed on July 17, 2012
Coordinates: 49 ° 17 '57.9 " N , 7 ° 22' 1.4" E